Traction device for vehicle wheels



April 14, 1931. J. R. vosBURGH 1,300,877

TRACTION DEVICE FOR -VEHICLE WHEELS Filed April 6. 1927 gwue'ntoz /f/f l l a Patented Apr. 14, 1931 UNITED STATES PA'rleilsVr` Afori-fica l JOHN R. VOSBURG-H, OF JHNSTOWN, NEW YR-K TRACTIQN :DEVICE FOR VEHICLE `WHEELS Application filed April 6,

This invention relates to traction or antiskid devices for vehicle wheels and more particularly to a device of this character, which is adapted to automatically lock itself upon a vehicle tire of the pneumatic type.

A further object of the invention is to produce a device of this character which may be readily and cheaply manufactured, which is readily placed in position upon the wheel l and which will be durable and elficient in service.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of this character in which the` resilient wall of the tire constantly acts to maintain the locking engagement of the trac-V tion device with the wheel rim thereof. Suptration is shown a preferred embodiment of .l

my invention and wherein:

Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of a wheel rim showing a traction device constructed in accordance with my invention applied thereto, the tire being indicated in dotted lilies;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the traction de vice;

Figure 3 is a side elevation thereof. Referring now more particularly to the drawings, thel numeral 10 generally designates a horseshoe or U-shaped saddle adaptl ed to straddle the tread et a pneumatic tire of a vehicle wheel. This saddle may if preferred be formed in two sections 11, adjacent ends of which overlap and are secured to one another to form the cross bar 12 et the U to fashion a reenforced unitary collet-like member. This thickens the cross bar, which, of course, contacts with the road and is accordingly subjected to considerable strain and wear. The respective arm extremities of the U-shaped member are each shown as bifurcated and within each such slot there is mounted a manipulative lever such as 13 pivoted intermediate its lever ends. Each of these complementary levers includes a tire engaging end leg portion 14, the nose or toe `1927. ScrialNo. 181,516.

of `which is rounded oil1 into a smooth-camlike toe member, as at 15, while the opposite lever leg is equipt with a rim engaging leg 16, the innerface of which is provided with a hook-like keeper lug orretaining protru- `sion 17 adapted to engage under one of the oppositely ldisposed or `diverging overhung `:flanges ldassoiated `with the tire rim R whenever the deviceis infapplied position. Each of the rim engaging lever legs 16 may onesuch may belpermanently connected to a chain 19. The freeend link `ot' this chain is `adapted to interchangeably engage in a series of notches 20` formed inthe outer face eo further be provided with a tail 16A, of which of the corresponding tail of the other lever.

`'Ihechain 19 serves as a supplementary securing means for my levers adapted to augment, the holding of my tire collet attachment. against displacement. Said chain 'lll passes under the elly F or' the wheel to which the device is appliedand `is preferably covered by a tube ot rubber, sott leather' or the like.` as indicated at 21."

In applying the device to the tire, the levers 16 are rotated aboutrthe pivots thereof until their` respective rim engaging legs are most nearly adjacent the attachedends of the arms oit the `saddle as indicated in dotted outline. The saddle is then seated upon the tire whereupon the levers manually rotated about their respectivepivots inwardly toward the rim` flanges 18 thereof until the positions of the levers are reversed and brought into operative position as lshown infull lines. It will be obvious thati-n lorderto `'accomplish this, the tire engaging ends of the levers must squeeze the side walls of the tire inwardly' against inflated pneumatic pressure, so that after these levers have been moved a predetermined distance, they will snap into operative position and cause the retaining lugs 17 to grip beneath the respective rimflanges 18. To remove the device, the operation just described is reversed. When in applied position and the hook-like lugs 17 are brought into engagement with the rim flanges 18, the tire engaging legs 14 of the levers should have the toesthereof pressed firmly against the side walls of the tire, s0 that the internal f se pressure of the tire tends to constantly urge them outwardly and away from each other to maintain the engagement between said rim Y anges and their cooperating lugs 17 p It will be obvious that the construction herebefore set forth is capable of a certain Y range ofV change and modificationl Without materially departing from the spirit of the invention and I accordingly do not limit myself to .such speciiic structure eXcept as hereinbefore claimed. i Y i I claim l. In a traction device adaptedto be attached to a vehicle Wheel, thelatter compris- Y ing a rim-like memberV serving to mount a tire therearound having resilient complemen tary side-Walls, colletmeans including a jaivi like .yoke element adapted in operative position to transversely straddle and embracea -portionof theltire tread,v manipulative dual gripping levers respectively associated with the yokel -end portions, said levers being adaptedl to reversely hook .beneath said rim A member and madeV relatively retractable by cooperative contactwith the respective tire side-walls serving to yieldably urge said rim Y Y hooking lever'portions together Vfor palito- 2. A traction" device adapted to be Eat- Y tached toa vehiclevvheel equipt Witlija Vrim and la resilient tire. providingifor complementary side-Walls, said device 4comprising a yoke-like. collet, adapted to transversely straddle andseat` uponthe tire tread, a

' l manipulative lever pivotally associated Vwith each of said collet end portions74 each' suoli lever having a hook element adapted to swing beneath saidrim into interlock'ed operative position and further having a cam-like element adaptedl to impress 'arecess into one` :of the* respective tire `side-Walls serving to initially draw one of theY collet Vends into seated position andeach of which levers is further provided with a tail-piece, andV supe"l pleniental tie means extending `between Isaid tail-pieces` for lever interlocking purposes.

vIn testimony whereof I hereuntoaiir` my signature.

Joini ii. vosBURGH. 

